Chapter 25

"No this can't be, Natalee, you basically died twice, how am I seeing you again?" Anthony asked her. Lady Glinda had returned to the Emerald City, newly restored with the death of the Emperor, whose body remained on the floor before her with an uneaten half of the Blood Orange on the ground. Oz was still vacant however. When the Emperor was in power, he used the Dragons to kill every last citizen, the only Ozians now were Glinda, Ben, Argy, Julia, Anthony, and Natalee. Life could be restored to the rest of Oz, but first something had to be done. All magic that powerful comes with a price, and this time it was two fold.

"Anthony, I'm going to let Lady Glinda explain, she's better at these things than I am," Natalee nervously laughed it off. She didn't quite understand it herself actually.

"Alright. So We all know when the Wicked Witch, the Nome King and Langidere were in this room, that Langwidere with the Wicked Witch's help, killed Natalee. Then, I had already set up a spell that if she were to die here in Oz, her soul would move to a different body rather than fully dying. An Alicorn suited her best given the circumstances. Then, Mombi came back and eventually sucked the soul out of the Alicorn body, returning Natalee to Ozmist form. Finally we have where we are at right now. Shell, the Emperor, made Ozmist Natalee his ally, and fell in love with her. She let him do that because she wanted to maintain the illusion that she had switched sides after the Mombi incident, and after news reached us about how the Wicked Witch found and obtained the Ruby Slippers. So, she actually was following my orders this entire time to make you all believe she was a traitor so as not to emotionally compromise you when the time came to defeat the Emperor, Oz's final villain, and the last member of the Thropp family. When she mysteriously disappeared, she was actually in Kiamo Ko, my disguised palace, and was waiting to be needed again. I told her to use the remaining rubies from the Slippers to make a new magic item, sealing the belief that she was working on the opposite side. However, because she worked with me, I made that Amulet Natalee made do more than what we saw. In addition to sucking the life force of anyone he wished, it also drained his own. Weakening him enough to be vulnerable to say a Blood Orange, but not enough for him to feel anything. In fact I implanted a charm to make him believe he was actually getting stronger," Glinda took a breath.

"So that explains his changing appearance, hee wasn't getting stronger the more boney he got, he was getting weaker, decaying actually, very good!" I congratulated them both, acknowledging the fact they outsmarted me.

"I do need to confess one very important thing however. In the time I was with the Emperor, he made love to me Anthony," She gave a stare to Glinda, who nodded, something was being assured between the two of them, and Natalee held her belly for a moment grunting.

"What is it, what's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh nothing, just a stomach bug. Is there anything else you want to ask?" She asked.

"Yes. I cannot get passed the fact that you told the Wicked Witch the location of the Ruby Slippers," I said sternly.

"Do you not remember anything? Look, what really happened was she came to Cloud Swamp, and killed the Couragous Lion, but before she left, saw me and talked with me. I told her nothing. I told you a few months later that the Slippers were in my grave, but I never actually told the Witch her self, that was a rumor and it isn't true."

"Ok, that's right I remember that, but if you didn't tell her and I didn't tell her, how did she know?"

"Slazinace, her Vulture. He was in the Forest with you that night, or it was Roenja the spider queen. Any one of her spies could have told her Anthony, that was their job. But I bet it was Slazinace, the Witch always ordered him to come into my swamp because she knew my Ozmist was there, and that I was the last person to have them. Does that make you feel better?"

"Yes it does, much better. SO just to summarize you never betrayed anyone. You just put on a show to spare me my ridiculous and powerful emotions so that I could do my mission effectively?" I asked her smiling.

"Yes, I tried to help you, I always will," she replied, returning a smile which Glinda reciprocated as well. They both gave tight gratuitous hugs and held tight for a brief moment.

"I'm sorry I ever doubted you Natalee, and thank you. Your absolutely right by the way had you told me back then, I would be in no place to go to war, or on stealth missions, or be able to be of any use whatsoever. Good catch,"

"Well, I know you pretty well," She confirmed.

"You have restored Ozma's and Alec's faith," I told her.

"And you have restored mine," Glinda hugged them both and was smiling ear to ear with our long overdue closure with the past and welcoming of the future. Ben, Argy, and Julia came in, and clapped with Glinda for us.

"There is still one last thing that needs be done Anthony. In order for OZ to fully be restored with life, it needs a King to wear its crown," Glinda motioned her rose topped staff over to the hallowed throne, empty, and lit like a spotlight by the sun through the open balcony doors. She levitated Ozma's crown, the only crown in the Oz government, and had been used since the first ruler that founded the Country. "It is yours if you choose to have it Anthony, make your choice," Glinda waited, and everyone behind her was silently mouthing "take it! Be the king!" jumping and waving their arms in encouraging excitement. Suddenly I remembered Alec, Ozma's son and one of my friends say to me, "There will come a time when you need to take the throne Anthony. It is mine to pass on as the true heir and I can't think of anyone better. Make me and my mother proud," . This reminded me too of all the loved ones in Oz that have died over the Cycles. Lion, Tinman, Scarecrow, TikTok, the Stingray, jack Pumpkinhead, Bluefire, Gervirah, Liseli, all of them helpful and loyal to the end. Modest tears fell from my eyes as I understood that taking this crown would honor each of their lives, and deaths.

"Alright, I accept Lady Glinda," I sniffed and smiled.

"Then raise your right hand and repeat after me," Lady Glinda smiled as her gown changed from blue to gold for the occasion, the most jeweled gown I had ever seen her wear, and for Glinda that was saying a lot.

"I Anthony Tippetarius do now avow and affirm," Glinda said as I repeated slowly. It honored me that Glinda gave me Ozma's last name. "To take the throne of Oz in the Emerald City with dignity and sworn allegiance, to preserve, protect, and defend the four states, and to bring peace, love, and strength to Oz now for the rest of my days, with every fiber of my being, so help me Lurline," and with that Glinda moved the floating Emerald crown over to me, and it changed size to fit my head, and rested there. I moved over to the Throne, and sat down in it as my staff made a cracking noise and became a solid rod of emerald, with a glass orb ontop, and inside the blue sapphire as before. A pulse of good magic from the Oziad flowed throughout the land and filled ever dead animal, and person with life again. Ben, Julia, Natalee, Glinda, Argy all cheered for me as I shook each of their hands and hugged them thanking them for everything they have ever done for me.

Oz had finally been truly saved once more by the best troops Glinda could find. But the story was not over yet, Anthony-Oz the Blue and Loyal, had to address his people as Glinda blessed them in her bubble. When the ceremony was over, Natalee told me there was something more she wished to discuss.